The twilight language explores hidden meanings and synchromystic connections via onomatology (study of names) and toponymy (study of place names). This blog further investigates "name games" and "number coincidences" found in news and history. Examinations are also found in my book The Copycat Effect (NY: Simon and Schuster, 2004).

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Natasha Richardson

Sometimes events are merely synchromystic coincidences or tragic chance occurrences. Natasha Richardson's skiing-related head injury this week has a weird precursor in a story near the beginning of her career.

Ms. Richardson made her United Kingdom television debut in 1985, in The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes, appearing as Violet Hunter in the episode, "The Copper Beeches." That story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle details how Ms. Hunter plays a woman hired to impersonate another woman who is suffering from brain fever.

Through the 1800s, "brain fever" was poorly understood or defined. Brain fever describes a medical condition where a part of the brain becomes inflamed and causes symptoms that present as fever. The inflammation of "brain fever" causes acute and chronic changes in the brain tissue, as well as causing mental, emotional, and motor difficulties and deterioration....

Adults and babies with "brain fever" in the 1800s and even up through the 1950s were often committed to either County Homes or mental institutions for long-term chronic care because families could not meet the person's physical needs at home or could not control the person's behavior (or both). Medical science could not alter the permanent brain changes once they occurred. Once antibiotics were discovered, physicians could treat the inflammation, but the deficits were permanent, with little benefit from physical or occupational therapies. Wikipedia ~ Brain Fever

Richardson also acted in such roles as those of Mary Shelley in the 1986 film, Gothic and Patricia Hearst in the 1988 movie, Patty Hearst.

Natasha Richardson is a member of one of the most deeply woven British acting dynasties. She was the elder daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson. Her maternal grandparents were the actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. She was also the niece of actress Lynn Redgrave and actor Corin Redgrave, and the cousin of Jemma Redgrave. Her sister Joely Richardson is an actress too, best known for starring in the television series "Nip/Tuck."

Richardson was married to the actor Liam Neeson; they have two sons. My sympathy to her family.

On March 16, 2009, Richardson was injured in a skiing accident while near the foot of Mont-Tremblant, Québec, Canada. Neeson left the movie Chloe he was filming in Toronto (he was set to be Abraham Lincoln in his next job), to be at her side. Richardson was flown by private jet to Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan and visited by her sons and mother. Entertainment media rumors have prematurely discussed Richardson's death, but the latest is she is in critical condition.

The mountain called Mont Tremblant means "trembling mountain" in French.

Mont-Tremblant has its own senior amateur football team, the Mystral, ("a cold, dry, Northerly wind"). It also has a midget hockey team, Les Diables, ("the Devils").

Sadly, it has been learned that Natasha Richardson was taken off life support, according to NYC legendary columnist, Liz Smith, as of 1:30 PM ET, March 18, 2009.

Update:

The Daily Mail sensationalistic article about the "Curse of the Redgraves" seems to be more about a couple fathers who are bisexual and family members that are radicals or Marxist. Not too much of a curse in those traits, among some actors, if you want to be realistic.

Further update:The actor Natasha Richardson has died following a skiing accident in Canada, her husband Liam Neeson's publicist said on Wednesday night, March 18.

A statement released on behalf of the family said: "Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."

Members of her family including her husband and her mother Vanessa Redgrave had gathered at her hospital bedside since her accident.

6 comments:

Mynn
said...

So very sad...Perhaps another precursor: Liam Neeson appeared in wonderful movie called 'Love Actually' in which his charachter's wife is dead. The wife is a stunning blonde that I have always thought resembled his wife, Natasha.

Yes, yes, truly, truly sad. It is ironic, then, that in the 1990 release, The Comfort of Strangers, that she plays the lover of unabashédly out gay actor Rupert Everett, who are tragically swept up under the hypnotic, charismatic affect of their older hosts, played by Christopher Walken & Helen Mirren, who (spoiler alert!) turn out to be homicidal sociopaths without any consciences whatsoever, whilst the young Everett/Richardson couple vacations in Venice. Have you read about the recent archaeological exhumation of the so-called Venice vampire yet?

Brain injuries are so devastating. The other problem that a Maine man will be familiar with is how dangerous the ground can be in March. Oftentimes the soil will still be frozen so it's harder than concrete, yet the snow cover is thin which takes away that cushion. My son was once badly hurt sledding under similar conditions- thank God he landed on his front and not his back as Richardson probably did.

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About Me

Investigator of human and animal mysteries since 1960. Swamp Thing character "Coleman Wadsworth" in #4:7 and more in #4:8, is a tribute.
Author of over 35 books, including The Unidentified (1975), Mysterious America (1983/2007), Suicide Clusters (1987), Cryptozoology A to Z (1999), Bigfoot! (2003), The Copycat Effect (2004), and field guides.
Educated in anthropology-zoology at SIU-Carbondale, and psychiatric social work at Simmons College School of Social Work. Began doctoral work in anthropology (Brandeis University) and family violence (UNH). Taught at NE universities (1980 to 2003), while concurrently a senior researcher at the Muskie School (1983 to 1996), before retiring to write, lecture, consult, & open museum. Popular documentary course was taught for 23 semesters; appeared on C2C, The Larry King Show, MonsterQuest, Lost Tapes, In Search Of, and other tv programs.
Loren Coleman is a dedicated father (Caleb, Malcolm, Des), cryptozoologist, media consultant, and baseball fan.